November 14, 2015

Saturday morning and I was awake at 6:30, but when one falls asleep at 11, this is to be expected.  I knewknewknew I had a long day ahead of me, which made getting out of my beautifully cozy bed that much more difficult.  The duvet is heaven to me.  I think I roll around in bed during sleep just because it's so comfortable and I get more "feel" out of it.

I did finally get up though, and felt overwhelmed.  I don't know how I will clean the carpet  with all these boxes strewn about; some full, others half-full, many boxes still flat.  I'd start in one section, move the another before I was finished and continue this process everywhere.  Eventually I'd come across my first task, "oh, yeah!  That's what I was doing!" only to leave it minutes later.  I was also distracted by music..wanting to find that perfect "packclean" tune. Then, Rich called from Cedar West, the rental agency.  I knew he'd was going to tell me that I couldn't stay in that house because Landlord dude had called and told him I had walked away from him..., so I was grateful when it was about more money for a pet deposit.  Man oh man...the amount  is becoming astronomical.  Maybe I'm really buying the house....

Finally, somehow, my groove started grooving...  Boxes where packed, I tore down the gazebo, which reminded me of the Hips show in Santa Cruz when the first gazebo collapsed due to snow.  Such a lovely evening... My car wouldn't make it up the hill do to snow, so I parked and walked up with Mabi, who had accompanied me to the show. I used the recip saw on the gazebo, then used it to cut up wood so I could burn.  I feel so much more alive when I'm outside doing physical labor (not that packing isn't physical but it's boring as hell).

Eventually, the darkness began to fall, so I started loading up the bus so I could do some storage facility runs.  At this point, I swore I heard music coming from Emmitt's house...RAP music, which meant he had to be dead and his offspring were in there.  I texted Brent then saw he had three lovely candles in front of his door-blue, white and red in honor of the killings in Paris.  This man.  I will miss him so much.  He has been the best neighbor I've ever had...they all have.  Brent came over and once we determined Emmitt wasn't dead, he offered to help me move on Monday with his parents!  I am in complete and utter awe that I have so many people offering to help me move, usually people run the other way.  I shall take them up on their offer on the 30th, because packing up this whole house has been a chore: the storage facility is almost full.

I made two storage runs in Lizzie.    I noticed the Lion's Club across the street was have some sort of festivity with live music; heard a little Lynyrd Skynyrd.  My body is done...  I burnt my finger when I was distracted with Mabi  and picked up the HOT metal cover for the fire, plus I only bent my knees once to pick up and that was the very last box I loaded, so my back hurts.  Home to split pea soup which has been cooking all day and now, a hot soak with Epsom  and lavender.  What a day.  Tomorrow has more in store.  Fun.


 Pictures: A break from packing before I headed outside, thank god for Dennis's Dirty Impound;  My dad's key/change holder from my childhood.  It sits on my fridge just like when I was a kid; I did NOT use my knees today; Hipnic, Site 9 stuff.  Sadly the decorations had to go (though I kept the owl!).  The wood I'll burn at my new home; No more gazebo,

November 11, 2015

Yes, I could have slept in, but awoke at quarter to eight and was up for the count.  Lots of stuff to do today and I wanted to get a jump on it. I find this house still feels as it did when everything was in it – my brain fills in the empty walls with paintings or Mother Hips posters.  This is the rough part…so much junk that has no value or use, but…what do I do??  The movers will be here Monday the 30^th at 8.  I have to shampoo the carper before the 19^th.  Not sure how to manage that one with dogs here.

I had my TB test checked – negative!  Picked up Ethan, who lives minutes away in Cameron Park.  I am such a goofy mom.  Poor kid; I’m even embarrassed of me when I’m in the mood I was in this morning.  We headed to the orthodontist and saw the four military planes flying overhead, having just completed  their flyby in honor of Veteran’s Day.  I brought the kids there once when they were younger and Ethan still remembered it.  At the appointment, I noticed a woman reading a magazine in the waiting area.  It wasn’t until the daughter walked in after her exam that I realized who it was – Valerie and Kate!  The family of John Curless.  It was wonderful seeing them and we spoke of their adventure to Austria.  Fingers crossed that I can be there soon, myself.  Ethan was soon finished and I drove him back to his dad’s.

I headed home and got busy – very busy -  and within an hour I had a whole mess of boxes semi-packed in many rooms.  I finished the back room, got a lot of kitchen items packed, all my Montessori binders.  Oh, many.  My body was hurting something fierce.  After several hours, I was running out of packing tape (6^th roll) and headed to HD for more.  I also dropped more items off at hospice.  This is the first downsize, which is really a lot of extraneous items.  The real downsizing will hopefully take place in half a year, but I’ll start much earlier, however, so that it isn’t this rushed.  I spoke to the propane people and they won’t reimburse me for the over half full tanks (I use it very conservatively).  I hope the landlord will.  I let him know this, but he hasn’t responded to that aspect, just that the walk through will be on the 30th.  Humph.

 

I started burning out back before it got dark.  I had lots of documents to burn and in doing so, stepped on a nail which went right through my shoe and into my foot.  I like to think of it as Texan acupuncture.  After the flames were down and I stewed the embers, I decided to head back to Cameron Park for some delicious rolls and sushi at a lovely restaurant.  As I drove down into the town, I was taken aback at the gorgeous sight _ a lovely orange sky, so beautifully painted by the sunset.  A flock of geese cut into the orange.  There are few sights such as this where I wish I had my camera.  In the restaurant, as I was finishing, three women came in to celebrate one of the women’s birthdays and it was lovely watching their adoration of their friend.  It is such scenes, as well as Maggie’s questions, which makes me ponder my solitude.  I am getting used to it and enjoying it more and more, which is, perhaps, somewhat risky.  

 

Once at home again, I packed up more items: took apart the shelves that held backpacking items, packed canned goods.  I think that leaved dishes and clothes, almost everything else is done.  Ricky will be by tomorrow to check things out and see how much there is to move.  It seems that all these boxes “of stuff” are really ridiculous, and yet I keep the paper weaving Mother’s Day card Maggie made, and the painted bottle Ethan made me for the same purpose because they mean the world to me.  I remember the effort of being that kid – of being so proud of spelling “Happy Anniversary” correctly to my parents on their table with masking tape and being so proud!!!  Yeah – stuff from the store – is lame, but from your kids…it’s everything.

Pictures:  My hand is my height - here really isn't far to go. Dammit...and soon there will be real facial hair; A lovely sight of turkeys (which can't be seen) crossing the road; At the orthodontist's office we were being watched.

November 8, 2015

On a Sunday morning, at 6:41, I was up.  When I realized, however, which day it was, I fell back asleep with such passion and joy, that I cannot even begin to explain it.  Really, I fell asleep passionately. 

The first thing on our list was to see Sophia, but visiting hours weren’t until noon, so Brian told us to hang on, thus the next thing on the list was…Costco…on a weekend…in the rain.  Those three points together are near cause for head explosion, especially for someone like me who enjoys walking quickly and getting things done.  It was so crowded inside that within minutes, I was going crazy.  The Boy didn’t find any “winter clothes” he liked, there were no available food samples to appease Maggie, so we left.  The kids both swore up and done that they never wanted to go inside that store again…and I must admit, my attitude must have had something to do with it.  I have simply never found anything I really like in there that is worth the headache of the crowds other than the optical service.

 

Next on the list was Old Navy for Mags, then REI so I could return the Yeti icepack, which melts faster than the cheap ice packs I bought.  Then, when we couldn’t agree on food , we headed up the hill.  Sophia was home and we wanted to check on our favorite girl.  Connie and Rodger were there, too, which is always wonderful.  Little Sophia was a doing well.  Fortunately the doctors were able to rule out septic arthritis or juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.  The kids all had fun playing with ChinChin, the chinchilla and I had a wonderful time talking with Brian, Lindsay, Connie and Rodger.

 Back at home, we started a quick pack up session and it was here that THAT BOY almost drove me to wit’s end.  Clothes I had purchased for him months ago suddenly didn’t “fit” him and he told me that obviously I didn’t understand his growth spurt.  Well.  Unless that “spurt” has affected parts that I do not know about, then I beg to differ, son.  After tempers were cooled, he and I left to free the ratmouse and get his jacket and boots – dad gets to supply jeans (which were already too small after a few months).  What scares me is that he is really about to shoot up and out.  I need to find cheap clothing until he is stable.

Home for more packing up, then Who and Office on tv.  This is their last Sunday night here and I am kind glad, though I really wish I had some help packing more stuff up.  The shed is already pretty much boxed up, but I will need a truck to transport some stuff from point A to point B and make a dump run.  I learned a lot this weekend about attachment to stuff (although yes, that cardigan I donated could have been worn today) thus it is much easier throwing stuff out or donating.  I want a fresh start at this new place.  Yes, it is twice as big as this house, and yes, it is in a “normal neighborhood”(first one I will have ever lived in), but I do not want to be impeded by Stuff the way I was here.  There is a great deal of Change whirling about me – a lot of Death, Lives forever altered and New Lives just beginning.  As I sit here at night, listening to sound of the gently dripping rain through the open window, I open my heart and jump emotionally into the Future Unknown.

Pictures:  RAIN!  The glorious Nectar of Life; The kiddos having fun with Chinchin; I, apparently, am The Chinchilla Whisperer...; Also, I seem to meditate with them...it must be a spiritual thing.